Scars of the Past
by Littleforest
Summary: Colonel Jack O'Neill has spent his entire life running from the past, but during a routine trip to a seemingly uninhabited planet, something happens to him that changes everything...
1. Young and Old

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Stargate SG1, nor any of the show's characters or settings. All I own is the plot, and that's currently riddled with so many clichés that even _that _claim of ownership is somewhat dubious.

**A/N- **Hello, and welcome to my newest story! This is my first foray into the Stargate fandom, though I have been reading and watching for years, and I'm incredibly nervous about it. I'm not going to say too much about the story now because it would probably ruin it for you all, but I will say this…I hope you like it!

* * *

**~ Chapter 1 ~**

**Young and Old**

* * *

_Minnesota, 1967._

Fifteen year old Jack O'Neill limped down the dark, cold road, moving one foot in front of the other, his efforts mechanical and his mind miles away from the empty Minnesota street he was trying to escape from.

He was exhausted, scared and hurt - God, he hurt - but he'd done it. He'd finally done it.

Using his one uninjured arm, Jack raised a hand and rubbed it across his tired face almost disbelievingly, as if even his own brain couldn't quite process what had just happened. He felt giddy, scared and in shock, all at the same time, as if his feelings were just one giant ball of unencumbered emotion.

God, he'd finally escaped. He'd never have to live in that damn house again.

Home had always been a tricky issue for Jack. He knew, for most people at least, that 'home' was a comfort. A place of relief, relaxation, freedom. Not for him though – not since his father had died anyway. No, for Jack, home had turned into a prison, though really it was the situation, rather than the walls themselves, that acted like the prison bars. He'd long been trapped in a circumstance beyond his control, forced to take beatings, insults, punishments at a moment's whim, forced to survive each day with nothing in his stomach but what he could sneak from the fridge in the dead of night.

Jack winced slightly at the strain his movements were putting on his ribs, but he persevered despite it. Ever since his father had died, ever since his bastard 'step-father' – though there was no way that Jack would ever call him anything but Bob – had moved in, Jack's life had been hell.

The life with two loving parents; his mother happy, his father brave and strong – that was all gone now, and had been for a while. He had known love, but not anymore. Not for years.

His mother was a shell of her former shelf, her spirit taken from her by the man she called her husband now. She breathed still, but there was no life in her anymore. And, Jack finally acknowledged, there was nothing for him to protect. He had stayed this long for her. He had endured everything, every little bit of pain, hoping that one day he would be big enough, _strong _enough, to save her from that bastard Bob Taggart.

But he'd been kidding himself. _She _didn't need saving. He did. All it had caused him was pain, and all his mother had ever done was ignore it all. She was deeply depressed, he knew that much, but a part of him craved the moment when she would just _notice._ When she would ask her husband to stop. But she hadn't asked, and he hadn't stopped, and Jack had finally had enough. He couldn't stay anymore. He had to take care of himself.

It had taken him a long time to realise it, but even despite all the pain, it had still taken one last beating to finally shock it into his thick skull.

He had to leave, before the bastard killed him.

Jack glanced around the abandoned, dark streets of his home town, the night-time air cool on his skinny, T-Shirt clad frame. Jack knew this was it. He'd never come back here willingly. No, he was going to go it alone now, and screw the consequences. Screw his step-father, screw his mother, screw everyone else for not noticing anything was wrong. For the first time in his life, Jack was going to think of himself.

Screw them all, he thought angrily, pulling his injured arm tightly against his battered ribs.

Then, despite his injuries, he ran.

And he never looked back.

* * *

_Present day._

Years later, and light-years away for that dark empty road, a much grumpier, much older Colonel Jack O'Neill walked slowly behind his team-mates, his eyes sharp and trained on the woodland terrain around them, making note of every noise, and every possible threat.

So far, so good, he decided. The weather was moderate – not too hot, not too cold. The wildlife on this planet, for whatever reason, was avoiding the trail they were on, and so far there had been no sign of any natives. In fact, the only thing that threatened to dampen his mood was their current path. Jack glanced around his surroundings, taking in the forest of trees around them that could be hiding all sorts of dangers in the rows and rows of trunks and branches. Trees…

Why was there _always_ trees?

Absently, as he continued to follow the path of his teammates, Jack considered asking Carter precisely that question, though it didn't take much further thought for him to quickly shake that idea from his mind. Jack sighed. Knowing Carter, she'd just delve into an hour long lecture on why the planets they travelled to all had the same basic structure, how they were all made up of the same elemental components, yadda, yadda, yadda…

The Colonel grinned to himself, but kept his hand secure around his P47 as he watched their six. Maybe he would ask anyway, just to annoy Daniel. No doubt the excited archaeologist would be frustrated at having his day ruined by a lecture on trees, especially since the man was so excited to see those damn ruins. He'd been talking about it for weeks, and now that the moment was here, Daniel could barely contain himself.

Damn ruins, Jack groused to himself. Why was there always ruins?

He hid his grin this time, though he couldn't help glancing towards the errant archaeologist. He knew better than to ask Daniel _that_ question, since the only person that particular lecture would annoy was himself. And, with a quiet – and no doubt extremely boring – few days ahead of them, the last thing he wanted to do was spend any more time learning about ancient civilisations than absolutely he had to.

God, he hated ruins.

Before he could think on this more however, Jack was dragged from his thoughts when Teal'c stopped suddenly, an action copied by Carter and Daniel. When he rounded the Jaffa to see what was holding them up, Jack saw that their path had been blocked by a fallen tree, at least two metres wide and countless feet tall.

And trees, he decided as he observed the scene. Yep, he definitely hated trees.

* * *

The fallen tree added an extra couple of hours to their already long trek, and by the time the team arrived at the ruins they'd been aiming for, they were all exhausted and grouchy, Jack in particular, and night was well on its way.

Daniel glanced at the Colonel, watching as he dumped his backpack on the floor of the ruins, his eyes focused on his stuff and showing absolutely no interest in the amazing building that was sheltering them. It annoyed Daniel, and for a moment he considered calling Jack out on it, but honestly, he just didn't have the energy to start an argument now. Maybe he'd save it for the morning…

Anyway, Daniel decided, he wanted to have a look around himself. The room was huge, with stone walls that had broken in some places but were otherwise largely intact. When they'd first arrived, they'd wandered through the open doorway to what Daniel suspected had once been some sort of temple or place of worship, and they'd passed an incredible pool, only four metres wide at the most, but covered with flowers and decorative patterns that told Daniel as much of its importance to the people who had lived here as anything else he had seen.

Maybe they'd used a communal Roman-esque bath system, he considered, his mind already whirring with possibilities…

"Right, kids," the Colonel began, jerking Daniel from his observations. "Let's set up camp and get some rest."

Daniel immediately jumped to protest. "Jack…"

"No Daniel," came the immediate reply, almost as if Jack had been anticipating his exact response. "We need to rest. You'll have plenty of time to ogle at your rocks tomorrow."

Sam must've sensed a protest brewing him in, because she quickly stepped in. Daniel wasn't sure if he was grateful or not.

"Come on, Daniel," she said reasonably. "It's getting dark already. By the time we've set up camp, there won't be enough light to see anything properly."

"Fine," Daniel grumbled finally, following Sam's logic much more easily than Jack's orders, though glancing around at the darkening room he _could_ see their point. Damn military…

"Daniel, why don't you help Teal'c with the sleeping bags?" the Colonel suggested, though Daniel knew immediately that it was an order. For once, Daniel decided not to argue, since he _was _tired. Anyway, even though he wouldn't be able to explore until morning, it was still pretty cool to sleep _in _the ruins.

"Carter," Jack continued, obviously thankful for his compliance. Daniel decided not to push his luck and point this out to the man. "You want to start on the food? I'll go to that little pool we saw in the entrance and see what state our water supply is in."

Sam followed Jack's order immediately, as she always did – something Daniel knew he couldn't say about himself – and Jack nodded once in thanks before leaving them, his flashlight held in one hand and his gun in the other. Once he had left, Daniel turned his attention back to the packs. Maybe Jack had the right idea about the flashlight. It was getting dark…

* * *

Colonel O'Neill slowly made his way back through to the entrance of the temple ruins, hoping beyond all hope that his knees would last the next few minutes. He bit back a groan, and even considered whether he could afford to pop a few painkillers when he got back to the other room. Honestly, his knees felt as if they were on fire, his back ached like hell, and it didn't help that he was beyond exhausted.

God, he was getting old...

Unfortunately, he was also the team-leader, which meant that it was his job to look after his team, regardless of how old he felt. And _that _meant that he needed to check to see if they had an additional water supply in the form of that pool. And _that_ meant no rest for the wicked…

Jack grimaced at the internal cliché, but brushed his annoyance away as he focused on the task of checking the water supplies.

Bending down on shaky, achy knees, Jack leaned forward and sniffed tentatively at the water he'd scooped up from the pool. Stationary water was always dangerous, but in this case, so long as they used the water purification tablets, it would probably be alright. After adding some of the water to his spare water pouch, Jack added a tablet as well and shook it slightly until he was sure it was all dissolved properly. Then, after another sniff – you could never be too sure, he told himself – Jack pulled the pouch to his dry lips and took a long swig.

"Eurgh," Jack spluttered, spitting out as much of the water as he could, though some of the liquid did manage to escape down his throat. For something that had smelt alright, in the end it had tasted worse than disgusting, and he immediately decided then and there that they would have to find another water source in the morning. That pool water had tasted…well, wrong…

Like it hadn't even been water at all.

Shrugging to himself as he poured out the strange water from his spare pouch, Jack pulled himself up and stretched tiredly as he began to make his way back to the main room.

Job done, now time for bed, he told himself. The kids were safe for now, all tucked up in their sleeping bags and ready for sleep, and they still had enough water between them to last the night. They'd be fine for now.

Yep, Jack decided. That was a problem that could definitely wait until tomorrow…

* * *

Daniel woke slowly, the morning light breaking through his eyelids in a way that almost stung his eyes with its brightness. For a moment, nothing made sense. The last thing he could remember was saying goodnight to Jack, Sam and Teal'c. Then his head had hit his makeshift pillow and that had been it. Lights out.

Daniel cracked his eyes open, taking a moment to let them adjust to the bright, morning light.

Was it morning already? He'd been due for watch at 0200 hours. It definitely should have still been dark, and yet, looking around, it clearly wasn't. He took a quick look at his watch, then a second look just to confirm what he was seeing.

It was 0700 hours. What the hell...?

Pulling himself up with growing apprehension, Daniel glanced around himself, eyes locking on each of his teammates in turn. Sam…check. Teal'c…check. Jack…

Daniel could make out a lump in Jack's sleeping bag, the exact shape of a human body, but even that didn't make sense. Jack had taken the first watch. It just wasn't like him to fall asleep without waking the next person due on watch. In fact, it was downright unheard of.

His apprehension growing by the second, Daniel got up and walked over to check on Sam, who was the closest to him.

"Sam," he muttered, reaching down to nudge her shoulder. She stirred slightly.

"Daniel?" she mumbled sleepily, rubbing at her eyes.

"You need to get up," Daniel told her. "It's morning already. Something's wrong."

"Morning?" she asked, pulling herself up in the sleeping bag as she picked up on Daniel's tension. He watched as her eyes swept the room, fixing on their team-mates, just as his own had done. She turned back to Daniel. "Teal'c? The Colonel?"

"Don't know," Daniel muttered agitatedly, wringing his hat nervously.

Sam sprang into action at once. "Right, you check on the Colonel. I'll see to Teal'c."

"Okay," Daniel said forcefully, trying to pull himself together. He couldn't help it though. The temple still _seemed _safe enough, but Daniel couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. He just couldn't put his finger on it…

Trying to push past his apprehension, Daniel moved over to where Jack had set up his bed last night. The bundle under the sleeping bag was moving slightly, and Daniel released a breath he hadn't known he'd been holding. Thank god; Jack was alive. He was breathing...

"Jack," Daniel muttered loudly, shaking the bundle. "Wake up."

No reply, which was strange in itself because Jack had always been a light-sleeper. Nervously, Daniel glanced down at the bundle again, then looked as Sam and Teal'c arrived beside him.

"Something's wrong," Daniel told them. "He's not waking up."

Sam pointed back to the bundle. "Yes he is, Daniel. Look."

Daniel swung his focus back to Jack's sleeping bag, and saw that she was right. The bundle was shifting much more now, and Daniel stepped back slightly, almost subconsciously knowing that Jack would be unnerved if he woke up to find his teammates staring down at him.

Slowly, with the three of them watching on, the top of the sleeping bag was pulled down by its occupant, but instead of revealing the hardened old soldier that each of them had been expecting, the movement revealed…someone else.

It was a teenage boy.

Sam gasped, and out of the corner of his eye, Daniel saw Teal'c raise his Zat. Quickly and without much thought, Daniel raised his hands, both to stop Teal'c from firing, and also in an attempt to look as unthreatening to the teen as possible.

Daniel held his breath, and slowly, the teenager opened his eyes, blinking up at them with a confused furrow on his brow. Comprehension seemed to come slowly to him, but when it did, the boy jumped backwards, almost flying from the confines of the sleeping bag.

"What…?"

The boy stood a few steps back from them, and now that they could see him properly, realisation hit Daniel as quickly as a train. The boy - with his brown hair, and his familiar face, and wearing _Jack's _BDU's – was recognised by each of them, a fact that Daniel knew even without looking at his team-mates faces, their expressions no doubt mirroring his own. Daniel took a deep breath.

Teenage Jack was back.

It had been a year or so since they had met Jack's inadvertent teenage clone, but Daniel doubted that any of them had forgotten that face. Especially since that face was staring at them now, identical, though this time with wide, terror filled eyes.

"Jack?" Daniel asked with a frown. Had Jack been cloned again? Or had his body been…de-aged perhaps...?

The teenager's eyes flitted to Daniel, fists clenched. "How'd you know my name?"

Daniel's heart clenched at the very words he had hoped not to hear, but he persevered, despite the curse he could hear from Sam. They had to be sure, even though he knew, _he knew, _something wasn't right...

"Jack," Daniel tried again, trying to keep his voice soft. Unthreatening. "Do you know who I am?"

The boy looked almost angry now, though Daniel could see his body tense up as if he was preparing to flee.

"I've never met you before in my life," came the growled reply, tinged with only a hint of fear now.

When Daniel looked into the young teenager's brown eyes – identical to the Colonel's – he saw the anger building within them, but his long years of first contacts had made him an expert of body language. And though there was definitely defiance, and anger, and even a tinge of rashness, there was also confusion and panic and…fear there too.

This teenage Jack was terrified of them.

"Jack," Sam began slowly, and Daniel observed the teenager's eyes steadily, watching for any sign that he was planning to run. "What year do you think it is?"

"What _year_?" scoffed the teenager, though Daniel saw him eye up all the possible exit routes. "Are you insane?"

"What year is it, Jack?" repeated Daniel, his thoughts running in the same direction as Sam's. God, he hoped they were wrong…

"You're serious?" Jack asked incredulously.

All the teenager received was three, slow nods, and his mouth dropped into a frown.

"Fine," he muttered, and Daniel saw his glance to the exit again. "I don't know the exact date, but I know the year. It's 1967."

Daniel bit back a gasp as his suspicions were confirmed. Clone or not, de-aged body or not, this Jack O'Neill wasn't just physically fifteen. He didn't remember them, because for all intents and purposes _this _Jack really had never met them. The boy didn't just look fifteen.

He _was_ fifteen.

* * *

**A/N- **So what did you think? I know it's a huge fanfiction cliché, and that there are no doubt hundreds of de-aged Jack stories already out there, but I do hope to make this a bit different. It's set in Season 7, not long after 'Fragile Balance' (the clone episode). Jack is still a Colonel, Sam is still a Major, and Daniel and Janet are still alive. Other than that, I don't plan on sticking to the storylines much, though I don't plan on going against them either. I do want to make sure that this cliché is at least in line with canon, and that the characters stay _in-character _as much as possible, though I will definitely be taking some liberties with Jack's past.

Anyway, I really do hope you liked it! Please let me know what you think so far, and if it's worth continuing. Until next time then, thanks for reading!


	2. Jack the Lad

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Stargate SG1, nor any of the show's characters or settings. All I own is the plot, and that's riddled with so many clichés that even _that _claim of ownership is somewhat debatable.

**A/N- **Hello again! Thank you so much for all your kind words after the first chapter! I really, really appreciate it! Anyway, I hope you enjoy this newest instalment, and if you've got time at the end, please tell me what you think of it!

* * *

**~ Chapter 2 ~**

**Jack the Lad**

* * *

Sam drew her eyes forcibly from the scared teenage boy standing defensively in front of them, and glanced at Daniel, who met her gaze with equally horror filled eyes.

This was bad. This was really, really bad.

Her mind, usually so formidable, worked furiously as she tried to decide what the hell they should do. She didn't move to raise her gun though, even though Teal'c had refused to lower his. No matter what happened, no matter who this kid really was, there was no way she could shoot him.

Not when he looked so much like the Colonel...

But could they bring him in quietly? They were on another planet, and _this _Jack would not handle that information well if he somehow found that out, but how else were they going to get him back to the SGC so that Janet could run some tests? They'd have to go through the Stargate at some point…

"Jack…?"

Sam looked back to the young teenager. The kid looked terrified, and she caught a look in his eyes that made him seem like a trapped animal. Jumpy, nervous, but willing to fight his way out. If this really was a fifteen year old Jack O'Neill…

He was going to be trouble.

"Look, Jack," Daniel began, looking towards the young Jack.

Jack didn't even bother to raise his gaze though, his arm snaking around his ribs with a grimace on his face. Oh God, Sam realised, he wasn't just fifteen. He was hurt…

Daniel had apparently noticed the same thing. "Jack, are you hurt?"

Daniel stepped forward but Jack immediately seemed to panic and step back, raising his free arm defensively in front of himself.

"Stay away from me," snapped the teenager immediately, waving a dismissive arm towards Daniel. "You don't know me, and I sure as hell don't know who are either. Why is it any of your business if I'm hurt or not?"

"I'm Daniel," he replied with a frown, though he seemed willing to drop the matter for now. "Daniel Jackson. This is Sam Carter, and that big guy over there is Teal'c."

"Teal'c?" Jack replied, looking at the large man with apprehension. "Weird name."

"I am not of your country," Teal'c replied simply, and Jack nodded numbly in reply, clearly not sure what to make of the man.

"But who _are _you?" Jack replied. He looked around anxiously, and Sam could see that he was scared of the strange place he had found himself in. "How do you know me? And where the hell am I?"

"What's the last thing you remember?" Sam asked softly, noting how the boy was slowly edging further away. She knew he was minutes away from bolting, and it was clear that they didn't have long to convince him to stay.

"I went to sleep," Jack replied shortly, his right arm still wrapped protectively around his ribs. "Then I woke up here. So, where the hell am I?"

"Erm…" It seemed as if Daniel didn't seem to know how to answer that, and Sam had to admit, she didn't know either. They could hardly tell him that he was on another planet…

"I don't recognise this place," Jack continued, looking around suspiciously when it became clear that no one had an answer for him. Anger tinged with fear again. "I'm not in Minnesota anymore, am I?"

"No, you're not," Daniel replied softly, trying to look sympathetic. To Sam's surprise, something akin to relief crossed the boy's face. Strange…

"Good," Jack replied, a dark look passing over his face, the significance of which Sam could only guess at. "Don't care much where I am, so long as I'm not there."

The teenager crossed his arms, a challenge dancing in his dark eyes, before he turned abruptly and started to pace the temple, clearly looking for something. He turned over his sleeping bag, rummaged around their back-packs, turning over everything in increasing agitation. What…?

"Jack…?"

The teenager snapped his head towards Daniel, anger crossing his face. "Where is it?"

"Where's what Jack?"

"My bag," he replied shortly, his temper clearly growing. "Where is it?"

"I…don't know," Daniel replied, clearly confused.

"Dammit, it has all my stuff in it," Jack growled. "I _need_ my bag."

"We…don't have it, Jack,"

"Did you sell it?" Jack shot back, but he didn't wait for a reply. "You clearly kidnapped me…Why else would I be in the middle of nowhere, miles from Minnesota?"

Miles, Sam thought. Jack had no idea…

"Jack," Daniel tried. "Why don't you sit down, and we can explain…"

"Explain what?" Jack snapped. "How you've kidnapped me and stolen all my things…"

"We didn't kidnap you," Daniel argued desperately, clearly of the same opinion as Sam; they were running out of time. "Jack, we found you. If you just stop for a moment, I'll explain everything we know."

Sam watched at the boy took a long moment to consider Daniel's proposal. His eyes were full of distrust, and his body was taught with tension, but after what seemed like forever, though in reality was only a couple of minutes at the most, Jack turned to face them fully. He didn't sit, but at least the teenager seemed as if he was willing to listen. Sam just hoped Daniel knew what he was doing…

"We're military," Daniel began. "We work for the…er…special forces."

"The special forces," Jack repeated, clearly unconvinced. "You?"

Daniel seemed a bit insulted by the teenager's reaction, but Sam could actually see where Jack was coming from. Daniel had worked hard over the years to fit into the military set-up, and there was no doubt in anyone's' mind that he could take care of himself, but there was just something about him, no matter what he did, that still screamed civilian.

"We're more like…consultants," Daniel lied quickly. "We do the really, really secret stuff. The things the normal soldiers never even hear about. The stuff that no one ever hears about."

"Right," Jack replied suspiciously, looking pointedly around the room. "Like camp in weird temples. Obviously." Jack rolled his eyes, but Sam saw him glance towards the exit again. "Anyway, even if I did believe you - which I don't - what the hell does that have to do with me?"

"We were out here…training," Daniel told him, and Sam did her best to act like the story wasn't completely new to her. "We…we just found you, down by a…road. You were unconscious, so we brought you to our camp to try and…er…see if we could help you."

Jack seemed to consider this. "And my bag?"

"It wasn't with you when we found you," Daniel shrugged, and Sam nodded along, almost urging Jack to believe them. "No idea where it is, I promise."

Sam was impressed. She knew that Daniel was good with his words, but the lie he had just told Jack was based in just enough truth for it to be sustainable, whilst also providing an explanation for why they had been camping with the teenager.

"The clothes you're wearing," Daniel continued, eyes focused on Jack, and Sam knew what he was doing. The more he talked, the less time Jack had to doubt what they were saying. And Sam thought it might just work. "They're my spare ones. Yours…er…yours were ruined."

Jack tugged slightly at the large green shirt he was wearing, eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"So what happened to me?" Jack asked, some of the tension leaving his body. "Why was I there?"

"We don't know," Sam interjected, hoping that by sticking to generalities, they could somehow maintain the lie. They had to somehow gain his trust and convince him to come back to the SGC with them. If lying to the boy was the only way, then so be it.

"You were unconscious when we found you," Daniel reminded him. "We were actually hoping that you could shed some light on what happened to you before we came along."

Jack shrugged. "No idea. Like I said; I went to sleep last night somewhere else, I woke up here this morning."

"Right," Daniel began, stepping forward. "Look, why don't you stick with us, come back to our base and we can…er…"

"I'm not going back," Jack told them, the fear and anger back in his eyes as suddenly, almost making Sam wonder if she had imagined them leaving at all.

"Jack…"

"I'm not going back!"

"Look, Jack," Sam stepped in, trying to calm him down. She took a step forward, but Jack immediately stepped back. Sam tried not to let it bother her. "Jack, we can sort it out, I promise. Just come back with us. You can't stay here by yourself."

Clearly the boy was confused, but Sam wasn't feeling much better. Of all the situations they'd been in, at least the Colonel had known who they were. Now, it was as if they had never met. How were they going to convince him to come back to the SGC so that Janet could run some tests and work out what the hell was going on, when from his point of view, he didn't even know them enough to trust them.

"Jack, I don't know who you're scared of," Daniel continued, his tone sympathetic. "But we're not going to hurt you, I promise."

"I don't know you," Jack replied, turning to each of them. "Why would I go with you? Even if you did just 'find me', how the hell do you know who I am?"

Daniel fell silent at that, and he glanced over to Sam to help, although how she was supposed to know how to answer, she didn't know. How the hell could they explain that?

"I knew it," Jack snapped. "Bullshit."

"Jack…"

"Look, I'm not going home," Jack interrupted. His voice was quiet, but it had that dangerous quality that she sometimes detected in the Colonel – the tone that said 'don't mess with me'. "In fact, as fun as this has been, I think I'll be on my way now."

"We can't let you leave," Sam stated desperately.

"You can't make me stay."

"We can't leave you to wander off on your own," Daniel interjected.

"Course you can," Jack shrugged, though it was anything but casual. "I've done it before. I'm not dumb you know. I can look after myself. I don't need anyone taking care of me."

"I'm afraid that's not up to you," Daniel said, trying to look stern. "But look, maybe we can sort something out…"

Jack's eyes widened, and Sam saw horror enter his eyes. "What are you, some kind of pervert - ?"

"No," Daniel interrupted, equally horrified. "God, no! No, what I meant was, what if we worked something out so that you wouldn't have to go home?"

"You're serious?" Jack asked sceptically. "Why the hell would you help me?"

"I'm too nice," Daniel shrugged. "That's what my friend always says anyway."

Daniel gave Jack a soft smile, but its significance was lost on the teenager.

"What…what exactly did you have in mind?" the young teenager asked. He seemed anxious but the fact that he was willing to listen to strangers tugged at Sam's heartstrings. What had the boy so scared that he didn't want to go home?

"Well, we work at a top secret military base," Daniel explained. "There are quarters on base. It's not too far from here. I'm sure you could crash in one for a while."

"Right," Jack responded sarcastically, rolling his eyes in a way that reminded Sam of her CO. "You work at a '_secret' _military base, a base that apparently is okay with _visitors…"_

"Actually…"

"Jack," Sam interrupted quickly, sensing that the young Jack was starting to lose his patience with them. "You don't have much choice."

"Look," Jack began. "I'm sure you're all very nice people, but how do I know that I can trust you? How do I know you won't just take me back home?"

Jack eyed the exit again, looking for all the world like he was about the bolt regardless of their answer. Before Sam or even Daniel could say anything, Teal'c stepped forward and stopped the teenager before he'd even moved an inch.

"O'Neill," Teal'c stated calmly. "Stop."

"What…?"

"You must stop this childishness," Teal'c continued, his expression blank but clearly serious. "You will come with us."

Jack seemed to snap out of it. "Er...no, I won't."

"Yes, you will," Teal'c continued, unperturbed. "I am an honourable man, O'Neill. I will not allow anyone to send you 'home'. You have my word as a warrior. But you must come with us to the base. That is non-negotiable."

Sam thanked their lucky stars that Teal'c was with them, and that Jack, much like the elder version, didn't seem to be able to resist trusting the Jaffa. She could see the boy's resistance begin to disappear…

"You swear?" Jack asked, suddenly even younger than his fifteen years. "You won't send me back?"

Teal'c raised an eyebrow, but after a moment, he nodded. "I…swear."

"I…okay, fine," Jack said, turning to each of them. "Fine, I'll come. On one condition."

"Yes, Jack," Daniel said with relief. "Anything."

"You got any cake?"

* * *

**A/N – **Well, not the best chapter I've ever written, but it turns out that teenage Jack is hard to write. Anyway, I've reworked this over and over again, and this is the best I can get it. I hope you liked it, but if you didn't, could you perhaps suggest possible improvements. I'll take any help I can get! For now though, thanks for reading!


	3. Problem Child

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Stargate SG1, nor any of the show's characters or settings. All I own is the plot, and that's riddled with so many clichés that even _that _claim of ownership is somewhat debatable.

**A/N- **Hello my wonderful readers! First of all, thank you to everyone who has reviewed, favourited or followed my story so far. You are amazing, and I appreciate each and every one of you! Thank you, from the bottom of my heart. Secondly, I'm sorry this chapter took so long, but hopefully you'll like it; it's a bit longer than the last chapter, and the plot definitely thickens. I don't want to say too much though, so on with the story!

* * *

**~ Chapter 3 ~**

**Problem Child**

* * *

Almost exactly three hours later, the quiet of the SGC was interrupted when the alarm sounded loudly, echoing through the base, alerting every soldier and scientist to the potential danger of an alien invasion.

_Unscheduled Off-World Activation…._

General George Hammond dropped the report he had been reading and jerked up out of his seat, striding out of his office as quickly as he could, and making his way immediately down to the control room with his heart thudding in both anticipation and anxiousness. Although there were currently five teams off-world, none of them were due back for twelve hours at the earliest.

No, this could only mean trouble…

"General," Walter said as soon as Hammond made it into the room. "Unscheduled off-world activation."

"Any sign of a code?"

"Not yet, Sir."

"Then keep the iris closed, Sergeant," he ordered, sighing to himself. Instead of fear, all Hammond felt was dread. He knew the iris would hold – it always did – but he couldn't help but let the doubts cloud his mind. What if this time was different? What if one day their impenetrable shield wasn't so impenetrable…?

"I have a GDO code, General," Walter called suddenly. "It's SG1."

"Dammit," Hammond muttered to himself, even though the threat of alien invasion had all but vanished in light of the announcement. SG1 – the premier team of the SGC – had only left Earth a day ago, and weren't due back for another day at least. For them to be dialling back already…

"Get the medical teams on standby," Hammond told Walter. "Open the Iris."

Walter followed the order immediately and both waited with baited breath for SG1 to make their unscheduled appearance…

Daniel Jackson burst through the wormhole first, and at first glance he looked like he had run a marathon, taking deep, gasping breaths with sweat poring off his face. He didn't seem injured to George's practiced eye but he did look incredibly concerned about something, and the General knew that _something _wasn't right. His internal conclusions were confirmed when, without even looking up at him, Jackson turned back to the wormhole, clearly waiting for the rest of his team with almost palpable worry.

Worry that Hammond couldn't help but share.

Major Sam Carter arrived next, and her entrance was a lot slower than Daniel Jackson's, almost as if she had been trying to hang back until the last possible second. Again she seemed unharmed, though clearly worried about something. In fact, the General had just begun to wonder why they had dialled back at all, when suddenly Teal'c burst through, carrying in his arms what looked to be an unconscious teenage boy.

And then the Wormhole disengaged.

"What in the world….?" The General muttered, already on his way down the stairs to greet the team. His steps were quick, and he was soon entering the gate room and ordering the soldiers to stand down.

He glanced at the sight that greeted him. "Major, what –? "

"Sir, we need to get him to the infirmary," interrupted Carter, her eyes wide in desperation. Teal'c already looked like he was about to bound off to find Doctor Frasier, and it seemed it was all he could do to stay where he was and wait for his orders. The General almost waved them on then and there, but in the end he decided that he needed some answers first this time. Not least, the location of his second in command…

"Who is that, Major?" The General asked, nodding towards the boy lying limply in the strong arms of Teal'c. "And where in the hell is Colonel O'Neill?"

"This _is_ Jack, General," Daniel Jackson interjected quickly, sounding out of breath, but deadly serious. "We don't know how, and we don't know why, but this boy is fifteen year old Jack O'Neill."

"And he needs help, Sir," Carter implored. George couldn't drag his eyes aware from the teen's face. God, he should've recognised him…

"Go," George nodded. Teal'c didn't need to be asked twice, and the General watched as the remainder of SG1 left without another word, all the while wondering what the hell his premier team had gotten themselves into now.

* * *

The team – minus the Colonel of course, who had been whisked off by Janet the moment she had set eyes on him – felt in Limbo as they waited for someone to come out of the Infirmary and give them an update on teenage Jack's condition.

Sam, in particular, felt sick. She'd been walking beside the boy when he'd suddenly collapsed, with no warning whatsoever, his breathing shallow and ragged. God, she chastised herself now; how had she not noticed something was wrong? He'd clearly been struggling with some sort of injury, even before they'd set off back to the gate…

"Janet?" Daniel popped his head up as the base doctor finally entered the corridor.

"Not here," she muttered, before directing them around the corner and into her office. They followed her silently, each noting the tenseness in her body language. Sam felt her concern grow ten-fold…

As soon as the door had closed behind them, Janet turned to the three of them with fury dancing in her eyes.

"What on earth happened to that boy?" she demanded.

"How is he?" asked Sam immediately.

"He's alive, if that's what you're asking?" Janet replied, her expression softening, but not by much. "He was exhausted. In fact, I suspect that his collapse was more down to that than his injuries. Which were extensive, by the way." She put her hands on her hips, though her expression showed concern rather than accusation. "What happened to him?"

"Janet…" Daniel stammered, still slightly out of breath from that last sprint for the gate, even though it had been over an hour since they'd got back to the SGC. From the moment Jack had collapsed, the three of them hadn't stopped running until they'd reached the gate.

"Nothing," Sam answered quickly. "Nothing happened. I swear, he didn't even fall when he passed out. Teal'c caught him."

"I did not harm him," Teal'c interjected calmly, though his eyes showed his concern for his friend.

"He has bruised ribs," Janet told her, clearly still angry, though at who, Sam wasn't sure. "One of them might even be cracked. We won't know until the X-Rays have been done. And under that shirt, he's covered in half-healed cuts and bruises."

That surprised them. "What…?"

Frasier nodded grimly. "The injuries I've found look to be two weeks old, maybe more. The ribs definitely, since they're well on their way to healing on their own."

Daniel frowned. "That doesn't make any sense."

"I know," Janet replied seriously. "Colonel O'Neill passed his pre-mission medical with flying colours. There wasn't a scratch on him, let alone extensive cuts and bruises. Even if…even if he has been somehow transformed into a younger version of himself, he still shouldn't have all these injuries."

"And you're sure it's the Colonel?"

Janet hesitated. "I…well, until I do the tests, I can't be certain…"

"But?" sensed Daniel.

"I had a hunch," Janet replied grimly.

"And..?" prompted Sam.

"And I checked the Colonel's medical records, specifically looking at any injuries he sustained at around that age."

Daniel frowned, having apparently guessed where her thoughts had gone. "You believe that whatever caused him to regress...you think that it left him in the _exact_ condition he was in at that age. Injuries and all?

"Yes."

"And," prompted Daniel. "_Is_ there anything in his medical history that indicates that he had similar injuries at that age?"

"Yes," Frasier replied grimly. "They're an exact match. Right down to the stages of healing documented at the time."

"Wait," Daniel began. "Are you saying that at age fifteen, Jack went two weeks without getting medical treatment for a _beating_?"

"According to the medical report, he went five weeks," Janet told them, their eyes widening at the news. "In fact, the only reason why he got any treatment at all was because the social services demanded it."

"Social services?" Daniel asked, shocked. Sam turned to Teal'c, but found that he looked as surprised as the rest of them. The Colonel had never talked about his childhood, but Sam had always assumed it was because there wasn't much to talk about. She had never imagined anything like this…

"I don't know," Frasier replied sadly before Daniel could continue. "It doesn't say in his file. All I know is the medical side of things, and honestly, that's bad enough. I always suspected…"

"Suspected what…?"

"He would never say anything about it," Janet continued quietly. "I probably shouldn't tell you this, but I always got the impression that Colonel O'Neill's childhood was…troubled, to say the least. His medical history…well, I can't talk about specifics obviously, but it's bad."

Sam gave this a moment to sink in, but the shock at hearing something like this about someone she cared deeply about was just too much for her to deal with at the moment, so she pushed it away as best she could. She didn't want to imagine what Janet was implying. She didn't want the image of a child-like Jack, bloodied and bruised, seared onto her brain…

"Are his injuries not painful?" Teal'c asked, clearly not understanding why his friend had gone so long without help. Sam didn't quite understand it either, but there was clearly more too it, factors that Janet wasn't willing to – or simply couldn't - discuss with them.

"Incredibly painful," answered Janet. "Bruised ribs are nothing to sneeze at, and to have them for that length of time…"

"So, what now?" Sam asked, shaking her head slightly. "Can you help him?"

"I'll do my best." Janet said grimly. "But until we know what we're dealing with, it's all just guess work. And until we know why Colonel Jack O'Neill is suddenly fifteen…"

"I'll contact Thor," Sam said immediately, grateful for something to do. "And the Tok'ra. Maybe they could help?"

"And I'll look through my books," Daniel offered. "It's a long shot, but there might be something in there." He seemed to think hard before continuing. "Whilst we were in the temple, I saw some writing on the wall. It was dark, but…well, it looked familiar."

Janet nodded appreciatively, glad that they had both found something to keep their minds off their CO – their teenage, battered and bruised CO, she reminded herself…

"And you, Teal'c?" asked Daniel, eyebrows raised questioningly.

"I will see O'Neill," Teal'c stated, his stance confident, as if he couldn't imagine a scenario in which the Doctor would ever say no.

"Teal'c," Janet began. "He's sleeping..."

"Then it will not matter if I see him," replied Teal'c simply, already moving towards the door.

"Fine," she sighed, recognising a losing battle when she saw one. "But just Teal'c for now," she added, catching the looks brewing in Sam and Daniel. "He's going to be okay, but physically he's in bad shape, and mentally…well, we'll know more when he wakes up, but there's no doubt that he'll be terrified and overwhelmed."

Sam and Daniel seemed mollified slightly by her reasoning, but not by much, and Janet knew that she would no doubt be having a very similar conversation in a couple of hours. For now though, thankfully, they both just nodded to Teal'c, giving him significant looks loading with meaning and concern, before turning and leaving to complete their respective tasks. Soon, only she and Teal'c remained.

Janet sighed again, gesturing towards the door. "Okay, come on then Teal'c. Let's go and check on the Col – Jack, I mean. You're only staying ten minutes though. No more."

She tried to look stern, but Teal'c was one of the few people who seemed impervious to her strict personality. Thankfully, he was respectful as well, and never once even seemed to consider disobeying any of her orders.

"As you wish," Teal'c replied with a nod of his head.

He allowed her to take the lead, following close behind, and soon they arrived at the infirmary, and in particular at the section where Jack was currently lying, fast asleep on his usual hospital bed.

Teal'c stood silently by the bed as she began to do the routine checks on her patient's vitals. So far, everything looked good. Jack's breathing was still a little uneven, but that was most likely due to pain, rather than a problem with his lungs. She had given him some pain meds, but she'd been cautious not to overdo it. Until they knew exactly what had caused this regression, she wasn't willing to risk anything…

She sighed again. "Right Teal'c, you have ten minutes. If anything changes in his condition – and I mean anything – come and get me immediately. I'll be in my office, okay?"

Unsurprisingly, Teal'c didn't say anything, his eyes still fixed on his teenage commander, but he did nod once in confirmation that he had heard her and that he had agreed to her terms. She thought about staying with him, but she dismissed this thought almost immediately; ironically, given his past, there wasn't anyone more trustworthy than Teal'c, and besides, if she was going to work out what had happened to the Colonel, Janet knew that she needed to get started on her own investigations.

As she left, she glanced back towards Teal'c, her brow furrowed in thought.

She wasn't sure what he was going to get out of the visit, especially since Jack was still out cold, but, she knew, when Teal'c got some something into his head, there wasn't a lot she - or anyone else for that matter - could do to stop him.

* * *

Once Dr Frasier had left, closing the door silently behind her and leaving him alone with the Colonel, Teal'c moved closer to the teenager, concern bubbling up in his chest.

It was not right.

To suffer that amount of pain and anguish at such a young age was incomprehensible. His leader had always been strong, one of the strongest men he had ever met, but Teal'c had long ago noticed the cracks of damage that had hit O'Neill's soul over time. But for all that to have started when he had only been a child...

It was not right.

"You gonna stand there all night?" came a raspy voice. "I know I'm good-lookin'... but there's no need to stare…"

It took him longer than he would ever admit to work out that the voice had come from O'Neill, and that the boy was no longer as unconscious as Dr Frasier had claimed he would be.

"O'Neill," Teal'c began, eyebrow raised in surprise. "You are awake."

"I sure hope so," Jack replied, cracking his eyes open slightly. "Although I suppose I could be dead. I'm _not _dead, am I?"

"You are not dead," Teal'c confirmed, moving closer. "How do you feel, O'Neill?"

"Hurts," the teenager mumbled, closing his eyes once more before opening it tiredly.

Teal'c began to turn. "I will go and get Dr Frasier…"

"No!" interrupted Jack, his eyes shining with panic and pain. "Please don't…"

"I do not understand."

"I just…I don't like doctors," Jack replied quietly, his voice hoarse.

Teal'c frowned. "I would trust Dr Frasier with my life. As should you. She saved your life, O'Neill. You owe her your trust."

"I don't owe her anything," Jack replied moodily, apparently waking up a little more, though he still seemed to barely be able to open his eyes. "And where the hell am I? The hospital?"

"You are at our base," Teal'c answered simply, ignoring the teenager's bad mood. With the amount of pain the boy must be in, Teal'c could hardly blame him…

"Base?" Jack asked, cracking his eyes open again, though his energy seemed to be quickly leaving him already.

"We call it the SGC," Teal'c replied.

"Never heard of it," the teenager mumbled.

"It is secret," Teal'c told him, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly.

"Yeah," Jack replied, a small smile on his own face. "I remember. The secret base that let's strangers visit."

"You are not a stranger, O'Neill," Teal'c replied with a frown. "We are friends."

"Friends?" Jack asked, apparently honestly confused. "But you don't even know me."

"We are friends," Teal'c repeated simply.

"You're really weird, you know that?"

"So I have been told," Teal'c replied seriously.

The teenager didn't reply however. In fact, O'Neill looked in a great amount of discomfort.

Teal'c frowned once more. "I believe that Doctor Frasier would like you to rest now."

"Why do you care?" Jack muttered irritably, though his arm rose to cradle his ribs.

"I do not enjoy seeing children suffer," Teal'c replied shortly, doing his best to push away images of the past that were better left forgotten.

"M'not a child," Jack argued, his energy clearly almost gone.

"You are not fully grown either, young O'Neill."

"You know," Jack began tiredly, closing his eyes once again. "One of these days...you're going to have to...tell me how you know my name…"

Teal'c merely rose an eyebrow. "I will visit again, if that is acceptable to you?"

"I…I guess," the teenager replied. "Just…you know, don't let them send me back."

"I will not."

The teenager still didn't seem convinced. "I…tell them if they send me back, I'll just run away again. Tell them…"

"I will tell them, O'Neill," Teal'c replied seriously, his mouth turning downwards into a deeper frown. "You have my word."

"Good," mumbled the teenager.

"Rest, O'Neill," Teal'c told him, careful to keep his voice soft. "And do not leave the base. You are safe here."

"M'not stupid," came the tired reply.

"But you are young," Teal'c replied. "And the very young do not always do as they are told."

Teal'c scanned the young boy's face for any sign of recognition at the familiar phrase, but sadly he found nothing but pain and the faint traces of fear.

"I believe that Doctor Frasier would like you to rest now," Teal'c repeated, recognising that his ten minutes had probably run up.

"Yeah, yeah," Jack mumbled. "Got it. Rest."

"Indeed," Teal'c nodded. He gave the boy a long, hard look, watching as his face finally seemed to relax and his breathing evened out, Teal'c's suspicions about the teenager's exhaustion easily confirmed.

O'Neill was already fast asleep.

* * *

**A/N - **So how was it? I know that in stories like this, Sam or Daniel usually take the lead, but I thought it might be interesting to let Teal'c do it for once. Thoughts? I hope you liked it, and until next time, thanks for reading!


	4. Plan of Action

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Stargate SG1, nor any of the show's characters or settings. All I own is the plot, and that's currently riddled with so many clichés that even _that _claim of ownership is somewhat dubious.

**A/N - **Hello again! I'm sorry for the slight delay for this chapter again, and though my excuses are valid, I won't bore you with them. This chapter was difficult to write, mainly because it is important for the direction of the story, even if not a lot happens. Still, I hope you like it!

* * *

**~ Chapter 4 ~**

**Plan of action**

* * *

Daniel sighed as he finally sat down at the conference table, his tired eyes scanning the expressions of the other people attending the debrief. Sam looked exhausted, and Daniel knew that she, like himself, had not slept much last night, too worried about the boy they had brought back to earth only yesterday.

Teal'c seemed as calm as ever, but Daniel knew him too well, and his eyes betrayed the worry that his face wouldn't. He met the Jaffa's gaze and the small nod he received was proof enough. Teal'c was just as concerned as the rest of them.

Daniel glanced to Dr Frasier, her eyes focused intently on her notes. Daniel knew that she was optimistic about teenage Jack's physical condition, especially since he had woken up when Teal'c had visited him early yesterday afternoon. Despite that though, Daniel detected a glint of something in her expression that made his heart clench slightly in fear. It wasn't just worry that he saw in her eyes, though that was there too. It was pity and a small amount of fear. What on earth had happened to that boy…?

Daniel shook the thoughts from his head as Hammond finally joined them, his expression grim. They would make sure that the teenager was okay, and then, somehow, they would get their Jack back. They had to.

"Alright people, what have we got?" Hammond began, taking his place at the head of the conference table, lines of worry deeply entrenched around his eyes.

No one else, apart from the General, had been told what had happened to the Colonel, but the rumours were already spreading like wild fire, and it wouldn't be long until everyone somehow knew the truth, or at least part of it. For now though, it was up to the five of them, and they had all agreed that the fewer people who knew, the better.

"As far as I can tell, he really is Jack O'Neill," Janet replied before anyone else, apparently taking the opportunity to give her report first since it was probably the most important one.

"You're certain?" asked Daniel. After all, they'd thought that about Jack's clone, and that had turned out to be a disaster…

Janet sighed in reply. "As certain as I can be, yes. His DNA is an exact match to the Colonel's."

"That's what we thought last time though," Daniel pointed out.

"I don't think he's a clone," Janet replied, her frown deepening. "This isn't anything like we experienced last time. For one, this Jack O'Neill hasn't just changed physically. In fact, it's as if he was transported from the past, straight out of his childhood. From what I can gather, he is in the exact condition he was at fifteen. And I mean down to the smallest scratch. I don't think that would be the case if he was a clone."

"I tend to agree Doctor," Hammond replied grimly.

"Are we sure he _isn't_ from the past," Sam offered tentatively. "I mean, I know it sounds ridiculous, but what if the Colonel and his fifteen year old self have traded places somehow?" She shrugged though it was anything but casual. "Stranger things have happened."

"I thought of that," Daniel admitted, running a hand anxiously through his hair as he looked down at his notes. "But I don't see how it could be true. I mean, if our Jack really was in 1967, surely he would have left some sort of sign." Daniel sighed as he looked up once again. "I checked. And double-checked. Nothing's changed."

"So, as far as we know," Hammond said, looking around at the remainder of SG1, "The boy is Jack O'Neill, but he isn't a clone, and he isn't from the past."

"That's right," Daniel agreed. "I think something on that planet did something to Jack that reverted him back to fifteen. Nothing else makes any sense."

"Have the Tok'ra got any ideas?" Hammond asked Sam, and all eyes turned to her.

"Not yet," she replied with a frown. "They have said they will look into it on their end, but they couldn't spare anyone to come here and investigate."

Daniel scowled, but he did his best to shrug his annoyance away. "And the Asguard?"

"I did send a message," Sam told them, though there was no hope in her eyes. "But I haven't heard back from them yet."

"Damn," Daniel cursed softly. Janet met his eyes in gentle reassurance, but the worry she couldn't quite disguise did little to make him feel better.

"Then we must return to the planet," Teal'c said matter-of-factly, speaking for the first time. Daniel found himself nodding before Teal'c had even finished the sentence.

"I'm afraid I can't allow that, son," Hammond replied regretfully, shaking his head slowly.

"General –"

"We can't risk the same thing happening to anyone else," he interrupted, unmoved by their protests. "Not until we know more."

"But until then, Jack's stuck as a fifteen year old again," Daniel scowled, although he did understand the General's stance.

The problem was, Daniel thought, until they worked out what was wrong, Jack was the one who was going to suffer, not them. And since none of them knew anything about his life at that point, they had absolutely no idea how to help him. He scowled again; they might as well be strangers for all the good they were going to be to the teenager. God, why was it always Jack…?

"How is he, Janet?" Sam asked softly, her eyes laced with concern. Clearly Sam's mind had been going in a similar direction to his.

"Better," she replied slowly, though her tense expression belied her words. "He's managed to get some rest, and his ribs are healing much better now. Another day or two and he'll be okay to leave the infirmary."

"But where will he go?" Sam asked. "We can't exactly send him home to his family. They're probably dead."

"We cannot abandon him," Teal'c injected seriously, and they all turned to face him. So far, Teal'c was the only one who had managed to get Jack to say more than a few muttered words.

"What do you mean Teal'c?" Daniel asked quietly, unnerved slightly by the strength in Teal'c's words.

"He is scared," Teal'c told them solemnly. "Whoever harmed O'Neill and gave him those injuries…he is scared of returning to them."

"Whatever happened, it was over 30 years ago," Daniel pointed out.

"Not to O'Neill," Teal'c replied simply. "For him, it has only been a matter of days and weeks. We cannot forget that."

"Teal'c's right," Janet interjected before Daniel could say anything else. "Until we work out what's going on, we're going to have to look after Jack as he is now. We can't just ignore him until we fix this."

"Has he said what happened yet?" Sam asked worriedly. Daniel wringed his hands as his mind came up with all sorts of horrible scenario's that could explain those injuries at that age…

"He won't talk to me or my nurses," Janet replied sadly. "In the day that he's been here, all I've heard him say is 'thank you ma'am'. He doesn't trust us, and I don't blame him."

Daniel didn't blame him either. To Jack, they were strangers.

"I thought he'd have more questions," Sam thought aloud. "I mean, he's woken up in a strange place, surrounded by people he doesn't know…"

"It makes you wonder, doesn't it," Daniel agreed, following on from Sam's thought. "I mean, whatever he was running from, it was clearly bad enough that he's fine with being here as long as we don't send him back."

"O'Neill told me that he does not like doctors," Teal'c told them. "Perhaps that is why he will not talk to you, Doctor Frasier."

Janet sighed. "I thought that might be the case."

"What do you mean?" Sam asked, clearly confused. "The Colonel's never liked doctors."

"But have you ever thought why?" Janet replied, causing Sam to furrow her brow in confusion. Daniel decided to step in, since he had an idea what Janet was getting at.

"Sam," Daniel began softly. "If Jack…if his childhood really was as bad as we think it was, it's no wonder that he doesn't like doctors. He probably saw too many of them as a kid. And if he was still getting beaten up at fifteen, clearly none of them had the guts to help him."

This last sentence was said with bitterness, and Daniel clenched his fists in an attempt to get control of his anger.

"O'Neill ran away," Teal'c added quietly. "It is clear that he does not trust easily. He relies on himself ahead of others."

"Typical Jack," Daniel mumbled softly.

"Yeah," Sam agreed quietly. "It definitely sounds like the Colonel."

"He_ is_ the Colonel," Janet said. "Just not as we ever knew him. We need to look after him until we can change him back. And for that to happen, we're going to need to get to know him as he is now, or he'll never trust us."

"And we will doctor," Hammond said with a nod.

"How are we going to get to know him though?" Daniel asked tiredly. "All we have at the moment is guesses and suppositions. We don't even know what happened. We can't help Jack if he won't tell us what's wrong."

"Do you know anything, Sir," Sam asked Hammond. The General sighed, running a hand tiredly over his face.

"I don't know much about Jack's life at that point," he replied, though Daniel sensed there was more that he wasn't saying. "I don't even know much about his adult life. Jack's always been private as hell, and I never thought it was any of my damn business…"

Daniel caught his hesitation. "But you know something."

"Yes, I do," Hammond confirmed tiredly. "We need to talk to Colonel Benji Pullman."

"I don't know anyone by that name," Sam said, confused. Daniel was confused as well. During his years of working with the military, he thought he'd come across most of the major players, but he'd never heard of anyone by that name.

"You wouldn't, Major," Hammond replied with a small smile. "Colonel Pullman has been retired for over 20 years."

"Then why…?" began Daniel.

Hammond's expression was grim. "Because Benji and his wife formally adopted Jack O'Neill just after his seventeenth birthday."

* * *

_Jack ran._

_His heart pounded loudly in his chest as his legs pumped as quickly as he could make them. He was soaked through to the skin, but he didn't let it slow him down. He'd only been on the streets for two weeks, but he had already learnt more than enough to know how to survive. And right now, he needed to escape..._

_He span round another corner and jumped behind a dumpster, clamping a hand forcefully over his own mouth so that his loud breathing didn't give him away. Jack gripped the shoulder of his bag until his hands turned white. He couldn't lose it. It was all he had left in the world..._

_"He can't have got far!" came a growl, too close for comfort. Jack was sure that his heart was beating loudly enough to give him away._

_"Little bastard," the other thug spat. "I'll kill him. I swear, I'll kill him."_

_"We'll get him."_

_Jack held his breath, hand still gripped tightly around his bag straps. He strained his ears, desperate for any sign that they hadn't followed him down the side street._

"Son, wake up."

_He twisted as he heard footsteps come closer to his hiding place. Damn, they were going to see him soon. He crouched down and moved backwards until his back hit the wall, his heart thudding so loudly in his chest that he was worried that it would burst out._

"Jack, it's okay."

_No, it wasn't okay, he told the stupid voice. The thugs were going to kill him. The footsteps were getting closer now, and their voices were getting louder. Damn, he was a sitting duck here. _

"Jack…"

_Making an impulsive decision, Jack stood up and sprang forward, using all his strength to barrel into the two men who had been chasing him. Taken by surprise, they fell, and Jack used his momentum to knock them hard to the ground. They landed with a grunt, and Jack tried to pull himself up before they could make a grab for him._

"Jack…"

_A hand pulled at his leg though, and he lost his balance. He twisted away from it, but it held firm, dragging him to the floor. He fell awkwardly, smacking his shoulder on the hard floor._

"_Grab him!"_

_Before he could pull himself up, one of the thugs managed to pin him to the floor. He struggled, but it was useless. He was weak from pain nad hunger, and they were strong from anger. He stood no chance._

"_Let me go, you bastards!" Jack growled defiantly._

"_Ha!" one of the thugs laughed. "Looks like we've got ourselves a fighter!"_

"_Leave me alone," Jack struggled._

"_Shut it!" A fist swung connecting sharply with Jack's cheek, and his head snapped to the side with the force of the impact._

"Jack…"

"_Stop…" he protested weakly._

"_Nah," replied the thug. "I think we need to teach you a lesson instead."_

_The second punch hurt more than the first, and it knocked the air from his lungs. Jack groaned weakly, but he refused to stop fighting. God, he hoped they didn't find his bag hidden behind the dumpster..._

"_No…"_

"Jack…"

_Another fist was raised, and Jack tensed, waiting for the painful impact._

"Jack, wake up…"

He jerked awake, his heart thudding loudly in his chest as he snapped his eyes open, half-expecting to find himself back in that alleyway again. It was dark, and the nightmare was still fresh on his mind...

"Jack?"

Jack jumped, pulling himself up on the bed as he tried to steady his breathing and work out where he was. It smelled like a hospital, so that ruled out the streets, but that wasn't necessarily a good thing, especially going by the pain he could feel in his chest. Damn, he must've broken his ribs again…

Jack blinked as the memories flickered back into his exhausted mind, momentarily overtaking the after-effects of the nightmare. That's right, those weird soldier had brought him back to their base yesterday. Jack shook himself; he still didn't really understand what the hell they had done that for. Why couldn't they just leave him alone…?

"Son, are you okay?"

Jack's eyes darted to the owner of the voice, his heart thudding loudly in his chest. He'd been under the impression that he was alone, so to find another person sitting in the darkness with him had startled him to say the least.

"Who…?" Jack began hoarsely.

"I'm General George Hammond," the man began, reaching to the side to flick on the small lamp by his bed.

Jack could see him better now. The General, as he had introduced himself, was bald and overweight, but it was clear, just by looking at him, that he wasn't a man to be messed with. Jack gulped, but he did his best to square his shoulders defiantly, his mind still affected by the nightmare. Never let them see you weak...

"Are you in charge of this joint?" he asked, gulping back his fear as he nodded around himself.

"Yes, son, I am," the General replied with a nod. "I believe your name is Jack."

"Yes, Sir," Jack nodded. For some reason, he felt the need to be respectful. The General reminded Jack a little of Teal'c really; a man of few words, who used them only sparingly to say what he really meant. Jack got the impression that this was not a man who appreciated bull-shit…

"How are you feeling?" Hammond asked kindly, his eyes brimming with concern.

Jack shrugged. "Fine, Sir."

"My team say that you were injured when they found you?"

Straight to the point. Jack liked that.

"Yes, Sir," he replied.

Hammond frowned. "Do you want to tell me what happened to you, son?"

"No, Sir."

No matter how intimidating this man was, there was no way in hell he was spilling his secrets to these strangers. Jack tried to express this in his face, but tiredness was fast coming upon him again, and he wasn't sure he got the message across.

"Okay then, son," the General replied to Jack's surprise. "Well I just wanted to check in on you. I'll leave you to your thoughts."

"Okay…" Jack replied uncertainly. He wasn't about to argue with the man, especially if he was willingly going to leave him alone. Jac kcould feel sleep approaching once again, but he had no intention of closing his eyes with a stranger still in the room. His instincts, honed on the streets, just would allow it.

"I'm sorry, Jack," Hammond said quietly as he stood, and the expression on his face made Jack's apprehension grow.

"You're sending me back," Jack guessed, his heart sinking. God, he didn't think he'd survive it this time…

"No, son," the General replied, clearly bothered by his reply. "No, you can stay here for as long as you like."

"Then why are you sorry?" Jack replied, still shaken by his nightmare. He didn't want to go back to sleep, but he could feel exhaustion creeping back up on him. His eyelids were feeling heavier by the second...

The General, it seemed, had noticed that too. "Go back to sleep, Jack. We'll talk again when you're feeling better."

"Why are you sorry?" Jack asked, fighting against tiredness now. It seemed like it was all he could do to keep his eyes open.

"I'm sorry because you don't deserve this, son," Hammond replied as he began to move towards the door and away from the light. "Get some sleep, Jack. We'll have this sorted in no time, I promise you that."

The cryptic message made no sense to Jack, but his mind, even after his nightmare, wouldn't allow him to dwell on it. He closed his eyes, and was asleep before the General had even closed the door.

* * *

**A/N - **Well, what did you think? I hope you liked the other little glimpse into Jack's past. I'm trying not to give everything away too early, but this chapter obviously filled in a few holes. What do you think of my back story for Jack so far? Since we know so little from the show, I'm kind of free to take it anywhere, but I do want to make it at least believable. Hopefully I've achieved that? Let me know, but for now, thanks for reading!


	5. Friendship

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Stargate SG1, nor any of the show's characters or settings. All I own is the plot, and that's currently riddled with so many clichés that even _that _claim of ownership is somewhat dubious.

**A/N - **Hello, another chapter has arrived! Thank you so much for all your words of encouragement - it means so much to me, so keep them coming! Just before you read on though, I will warn you that this is more of a character development chapter; the plot doesn't really move forward much at all in this instalment. I don't really want to rush it at this stage, especially since that's exactly what most de-aging stories do, and I really do understand the need for laying a base for future chapters to be built on. I hope you enjoy this newest offering then, and please, let me know what you think!

* * *

**~ Chapter 5 ~**

**Friendship**

* * *

Later that afternoon, Daniel strode down the corridor, his ears pricking up the sounds of a fight coming from the infirmary. His heart beat loudly in his chest, and hundreds of terrible scenarios ran through his mind; Jack being beaten up, Jack turning into a terrifying alien, Jack…

"Jack, what are you doing?"

The words slipped out from the moment he entered the Infirmary, as the sight that greeted him shocked his brain into temporary stupidity.

Jack was half on the bed and half off it, being held back by two fully armed soldiers. What was most distressing to Daniel, however, was that Jack was apparently still struggling to get free, fighting the two stronger men with everything he had. What on earth…?

"I'm leaving, alright?!" Jack growled furiously, still struggling. His head snapped to Daniel, finally noticing his appearance in the room. "You can't keep me here against my will. It's against the damn law!"

Daniel shook his head slightly, trying to will his brain to catch up. "No one's keeping you here against your will, Jack."

Jack just sent him a withering glare and nodded pointedly to the soldiers holding him to the bed. Daniel saw his point.

Jack struggled again, further proving his point when they didn't release him. "Really?"

"I…"

Daniel's brain still hadn't quiet caught up yet. He'd only been planning to check in on Jack, to see how the teenager was doing, and to kill some time before Sam found out where Colonel Benji Pullman was living these days. But now, faced with a raging teenager who, in the past few hours apparently, had completely changed his attitude, Daniel didn't have a clue what to do…

"Look, I want to leave," Jack repeated tightly, still struggling against the strong arms. "I've...I've had enough of being here."

"Jack, you can't leave…" Daniel began desperately. They couldn't let Jack just go, but at the same time, Daniel wasn't crazy about keeping him here against his will like a prisoner either…

"Why the hell not?" the teenager shot back. "I'm fine. The Doc cleared me an hour ago."

Daniel raised an eyebrow, knowing already that it was a lie. They'd only had the briefing a couple of hours ago, and Janet had said no such thing. In fact, she'd actually made it clear that Jack needed to stay in bed for the next couple of days instead.

"No she didn't," Daniel told him with a shake of his head, going for a stern look that probably came across as condescending instead.

"Well she should," Jack muttered angrily, apparently not bothered in the slightest by being caught in a lie. "I'm fine, and I want outta here."

"Why?"

"I've had enough, alright?" Jack snapped. "I don't trust you, and I sure as hell don't like you. I'm better off on my own."

"Where will you go?" Daniel asked pointedly, playing for time. Maybe he should call for Teal'c. The big man seemed to have built some sort of rapport with the young boy, and truthfully Daniel had no idea how to handle this. Daniel met the eyes of the two soldiers, still holding Jack to the bed; and, it seemed, neither did they.

"I'll go wherever I want, okay?" Jack replied angrily, still trying to jerk away from their grip. He glared at Daniel. "You're not my dad, you know. You can't tell me what to do, and you sure as hell can't keep me here."

"Where is your dad, Jack?" Daniel asked cautiously, sensing a brief opening into the teenager's past. "You haven't once asked us to contact him – "

"He's dead," Jack interrupted bluntly. "So there wouldn't be much point in trying to contact him now, would there?"

"What about your mom?" Daniel asked, ignoring the scowl on the teenager's face, his heart almost breaking at the small signs of grief there as well.

"She's…dead too," Jack replied quickly, but he looked down as soon as the words left his mouth, and Daniel saw insincerity there. Strange…

"You're lying," Daniel guessed, and the flash of annoyance on Jack's face told him that he had nailed it in one. "Why?"

"She's dead to me," Jack muttered, so quietly that Daniel almost didn't catch it.

Daniel sighed, clenching his fists slightly. In all the years he had known Jack, he had seen the cracks of damage that had battered at his soul. But never, not in a million years, had Daniel ever imagined that those cracks had started before Jack had even finished school.

Even with his own tragic past, Daniel couldn't imagine what Jack had gone through, and he thanked his lucky stars that Jack had been strong enough to make it to the other side. Jack was his best friend; annoying, frustrating, infuriating, but undoubtedly the best man he knew. This teenager was a stranger, but there were signs in him that gave Daniel hope that they would get their Jack back. This boy had overcome terrible things, and this time, Daniel thought forcefully, he wouldn't have to do it alone.

They would help him, because in one way or another, they all owed Jack…

"I think we're good here," Daniel told the two soldiers quietly, hoping that he wasn't making a mistake. All he could think though, was that no one would react rationally when held forcibly against their will by people they didn't know.

The two men hesitated slightly, but eventually complied with his request. Jack shrugged them off, but made no move to get up, instead rubbing his shoulder slightly.

"Please don't make me regret that," Daniel told Jack, but the young man just scowled and brushed away his kindness. He still made no move to get up, but that didn't really reassure Daniel much. Jack had been struggling like hell to get free, so why had he given up escaping now that he was…

"Okay, you've made your point," Jack began, scowl firmly in place. "You're in charge, I'm not. I'm stuck here until you say otherwise, and there's absolutely nothing I can do about it." He folded his arms angrily, though Daniel detected a hint of fear there too. "Got it."

Damn, that had not been Daniel's intention. "No Jack…"

"Look, I'll stay," Jack growled, interrupting before Daniel could continue. He turned to glare at the two soldiers who had held him down. "I get it, okay. You can go now."

After a brief moment of rapid thought, Daniel nodded when the two men looked to him for confirmation, and they left without another word, though he had no doubt they were standing guard outside the room. Daniel sighed and ran a hand through his hair as he thought about what to say next. Teal'c had managed to get through to the boy much more easily that he or Sam had.

God, _adult_ Jack had been hard enough to get through to. But a teenage Jack…

Daniel cleared his throat and shook his head slightly as he took a seat next to Jack's bed, his thoughts whirring through his mind, but the teenager spoke before Daniel could even get one word out.

"You can go too, you know," Jack muttered angrily, rubbing a hand over his shoulder as if he had hurt it in the struggle. Daniel frowned at the action, but refrained from saying anything.

"Do you mind if I stay?" Daniel asked cautiously, deciding internally that he owed Jack the choice at least. If the boy really wanted him to leave, he would go. Or he'd try and find Teal'c at least…

"Do what you want," Jack shrugged flippantly, and Daniel released a sigh of relief, though it didn't last long. "You will anyway. It's not like I get much choice."

"That's not true, Jack," Daniel frowned, his relief fading at the boy's words. "You do have a choice."

"Yeah-sure-you-betcha," Jack muttered, and it was such a _Jack _response that Daniel almost smiled. Almost.

"I mean it, Jack," Daniel continued. "You're no prisoner here. It's just…look we're not in the habit of leaving people to fend for themselves when we're in a position to help. Helping people is kind of what we do here."

"Yeah, I'm sure you take in strays all the time," Jack rolled his eyes.

"Not all the time," Daniel replied with a frown, though he urged himself to be patient. "But once or twice, yes."

"Really?" Jack replied flatly, completely unconvinced.

"One of our 'strays' was actually adopted by Doctor Frasier," Daniel told him. "In fact, Cassie's never been happier."

The scowl dropped from Jack's face.

"What happened to her folks?" Jack asked quietly. Daniel saw an intensity in Jack's eyes that hadn't been there before, but he chose not to call him out on it, at least not whilst the boy was still actually interacting with him. Jack would probably just close up if he tried to bring it up now, Daniel decided.

"They died," Daniel told him instead, thinking back to that day with sadness and a tinge of hope. "We found her alone. She was far too young to be fending for herself, but everyone in her village had died. There was no one left."

"And you took her in?" Jack asked with his own frown. "Just like that."

"Yes," Daniel confirmed, with a small smile that he hope was reassuring. "Just like that."

Jack's frown, however, deepened. It seemed like Jack was having a hard time trying to grasp the concept that anyone would actually want to help someone like him, and though Daniel hated the fact that Jack had ever thought of himself as a 'stray', truthfully Daniel couldn't exactly blame him for that. He had spent years with the social services too after all, and if there was one thing he had learned in the system, it was not to trust easily…

Jack looked lost in thought, but he eventually dragged his gaze back to Daniel's. "If I promise to stay here, will you leave me alone?"

Disappointed, Daniel realised that it was about the best he could've hoped for. Daniel looked at Jack closely, meeting his dark eyes steadily. The boy did seem sincere in his promise, and it wasn't like he was going to be able to leave the base without anyone knowing…

"Sure Jack," Daniel sighed. It seemed he had got as far as he was going to get with the boy today. "If that's what you want?"

"It is."

Daniel got up, sighing again. "Call if you need anything. And I mean anything, Jack. Even if you just want some cake as a midnight snack."

Jack rolled his eyes. "Sure. If I ever get the urge for cake, I'll make sure it's you they call."

"Good," Daniel replied, oddly relieved at the return of Jack's sarcasm. Maybe Janet was right. This boy wasn't _their _Jack exactly, but he was still a part of him, and they owed it to the man Jack had been to look after the teenager he was now.

Daniel glanced back at the boy in the bed as he made his way quietly out of the room, his mind already working on possible ways to help the boy, no longer solely focused on returning him to his original state.

He sighed. It looked like _this _Jack would need every bit of help he could get…

* * *

Jack woke slowly, hours later, a scowl already on his face as he recognised the base infirmary. God, he should've just escaped when he'd had the chance. He still didn't trust these people, and no matter what Daniel said about looking after strays, Jack still knew he was better off alone.

Jack started slightly as the door to his right opened up a crack, though his brief moment of panic quickly turned into another scowl. Another stupid visitor coming to pity the poor, little runaway, he thought angrily.

Why wouldn't they just leave him alone…?

Expecting to see yet another soldier come through the door, however, he was surprised when a young teenage girl walked in instead, her eyes scanning the room, and eventually falling on him. She looked surprised, and Jack knew how she felt. What on earth would a teenage girl be doing on an army base?

"Erm…hello?" he began cautiously.

"Oh hi," the teenage girl greeted unsurely. "Sorry, I didn't know anyone was in here."

"Who're you?" he asked, watching tensely as she moved into the room.

"I'm looking for my mom," she replied with a shrug. "Who're you?"

"Jack," he replied, shrugging as well, calming down slightly. "Who's your mom?"

"Janet Frasier," the girl replied, still looking for any sign of her mother. She moved closer to his bed though, and Jack began to feel a little subconscious about his appearance.

"The doc?" Jack asked, eager to keep the attention away from himself.

"Yeah," she replied with a frown. "She sent a message asking me to come in. You know her?"

"I'm here aren't I?" Jack scowled, grimacing as he shifted slightly. "She's fixing me up. Or so she says anyway."

"If my mom said she's fixing you up, then she's fixing you up," the girl replied with a frown, looking slightly annoyed by his lack of trust in her mother. "She's a really good doctor."

"So everyone says," Jack muttered.

"Who _are_ you?" she repeated, the frown growing on her face. Clearly she hadn't expected him to be here…

"I told you, I'm Jack," Jack replied. He forced a fake smile onto his face. "Jack O'Neill at your service."

Comprehension seemed to dawn on her face, and her eyes widened, though whether it was panic or realisation, Jack wasn't sure. This was too strange...

"Erm…It's nice to meet you…Jack," the girl said after a moment of shock, not quite able to keep the quiver out of her voice. "Sorry I was a little off before. I was just distracted…looking for my mom you know…"

Something weird was definitely going on here...

"She's not really your mom, right?" Jack asked, shrugging away his doubts as best he could. He had an idea who this girl was. "You're Cassie. They found you as well, didn't they? Just like they found me."

The look on her face told Jack that he had nailed it in one.

"I don't really remember much about that day," Cassie replied softly, her eyes glazing over slightly. Jack shifted uncomfortably; he hadn't really expected the girl to want to talk about it, but a part of him was really curious about her past, and he couldn't help but wonder if she really was just like him…

"It was bad?" he asked quietly.

"Yeah, Jack, it was bad," Cassie replied. "They saved me, you know. They probably saved you too."

"I was fine on my own," Jack mumbled stubbornly, still not quite willing to accept that fact, even though his brief stay here had left him feeling better physically than he had in years.

"No one's fine on their own," Cassie replied with a frown. "Trust me, I know all about being on my own. I lost my entire family that day. But when they found me, I got a second chance."

"What do you mean?" Jack asked.

"One of the soldiers here," Cassie began, looking at him strangely. "He's…he's like an Uncle to me. So are Daniel and Teal'c. And Sam's like my sister and aunt all rolled up into one. I honestly don't know where I'd be without them"

"You trust them?" Jack asked.

"Not at first," Cassie admitted. "But they were patient, and they were kind, and…well, I really needed them, even if I didn't know it at first."

"Can _I_ trust them?" Jack asked nervously. He didn't know what it was, but there was something about this girl that he had immediately warmed to. Maybe it was the fact that, underneath it all she was just like him, or maybe it was simply the fact that he could really use a friend in this strange place…

"I don't know, Jack," Cassie, a small knowing smile crossing her face. "Can you?"

A flicker of a smile crossed his face, his first in the entire time he had been there. Maybe being here would be so bad after all. Maybe being alone wasn't all it was cracked up to be…

"You…er…" Jack began unsurely. "You can wait for her here if you like? I don't mind..."

"Sure Jack," she smiled, moving to sit in the chair beside his bed.

Jack fiddled with his bed sheet slightly, avoiding Cassie's gaze, his thoughts still a chaotic mess.

His past had taught him to rely on himself, and himself only, but the past day or so had made him consider things a little differently. This girl, Cassie…she was like him. He could see the hurt and pain in her eyes, but he could also see the beginnings of healing there too. She seemed okay now…happy even, and Jack couldn't help the small trace of longing that rose up in him. Had the people here really saved her?

And could they really save him too?

* * *

**A/N - **So, how was it? Just to be clear, and to reassure people, I am in no way intending to build a romance between Cassie and teenage Jack. It won't be happening. It would be too weird, especially if/when Jack turned back to normal. In fact, I won't be doing any romance at all in this story, though I might hint at Sam/Jack feelings in the future. I hope this hasn't disappointed too many people. If there are things that you would like to see in this story (apart from romance) do let me know, and I'll take it on board. For now though, thanks for reading and please, let me know what you think!


End file.
